The nightly barrage of 30-plus shots against the Maple Leafs has not harmed their standing.

But a continued lack of offence definitely will.

Two regulation goals in the past three games, and just three at even-strength stretching back four games, represents the team’s second worst output since Randy Carlyle replaced Ron Wilson in March of 2012.

The weak numbers are nothing to cause Carlyle insomnia at present, as long as signs point to improvement. But that’s the concern, given the ongoing absence of two key centres.

Throw in some penalty kill breakdowns, a run of stingy goaltending from foes and a looming schedule crunch and you can see why Carlyle was too cautious to celebrate his team’s 6-1 start.

After Saturday’s close-but-no-cigar loss to playoff nemesis Boston, the Leafs now enjoy their last three-day break before the Christmas holiday. Starting Wednesday in Minnesota, a team also capable of jamming a stick through Toronto’s spokes, it’s 20 games in 37 nights.

Carlyle and the Leafs know what’s required, the kind of full-court press they showed in Saturday’s second period. Whether it started with captain Dion Phaneuf’s big hit on Daniel Paille or Joffrey Lupul’s nifty goal off the rush, there was a sequence where the Bruins were on the run in their own building.

“That’s more of the type of hockey we are going to ask this club to play,” Carlyle said. “A little bit more of a cycle game, a little bit more of a puck possession game, instead of the up-and-down trading of chances.

“That is the most important thing for us — to get an understanding of how we have to play to be effective both at home and on the road. I think every coach would like their team to play that way, but I don’t know if you expect them to do that for 60 minutes.”

When the Leafs do get rolling, with four lines kicking in gear and using the speed and spunk that has been added the past two years, it’s an impressive sight.

Yet Boston showed it still is better at that than Toronto, during its elongated pressure in the Leafs zone, leading to a power play and their winning goal.

Meanwhile, losing Dave Bolland’s edge, Tyler Bozak’s chemistry with top scorer Phil Kessel and with David Clarkson still feeling his way into the lineup, the Leafs tend to get in trouble at both ends.

Carlyle says two games is not enough to judge James van Riemsdyk’s performance as a first-line centre. Saturday became a mish-mash of lines anyway as the coach sought to keep Kessel from being calf-roped again by Boston’s big defenceman Zdeno Chara.

In a further effort to negate the home team’s advantage on last line change and find a spark, Carlyle tried Mason Raymond in for Lupul on the first line’s left wing, putting the latter with Nazem Kadri and right winger Nikolai Kulemin. Carlyle also revamped the shutdown line with Clarkson and centre Jay McClement, joined by Carter Ashton.

“We’re trying to get pucks to the net in traffic and take as many shots as possible,” Lupul said. “We’ve shown this year we’re not really a team with that many guys who just kind of skate down and waste long shots on net. We like to get the puck in and make some plays. We did a good job (Saturday), but we didn’t capitalize on the rebounds. We had some close opportunities, but Tuukka Rask was up to the challenge.”

The needle was in red again on shots against, with 33, minus one for Boston’s empty net goal. The minimum surrendered in 17 games this year has been 25, while it has been 35 or more 12 times. On the other side of the ledger, the Leafs reached a 14-game high with their 34 shots and were up by three in a 1-1 game before a double-minor to van Riemsdyk led to Boston’s winner.

“I’m not sure what some of the positive and negatives were, but it felt pretty good in the second period, taking the game over,” Lupul said. “We’d like to do that more, going forward.”

Clarkson has now played six games for the Leafs and tallied just one assist. After staying civil on Friday night in his first game against his old New Jersey mates, Clarkson threw himself head first into the Bruins’ rivalry and fought Jarome Iginla.

Carlyle agreed Clarkson’s heart sometimes rules his head when it comes to making an impression.

“I think that’s natural,” Carlyle said. “We are short some bodies up front and people are trying to step up and make a contribution. Those are the things you admire, but on the other hand, you would like to keep it simple. He has had his fair share of (scoring) chances. It would be different if he didn’t.”

Carlyle hopes he can change Clarkson and a few of these topics this time next week.

ANXIOUS KADRI

Like an impatient student, Nazem Kadri wanted to get his test done so he could re-join the other kids at play.

But this wasn’t math or English. There was worry on the Leafs bench Saturday that Kadri had suffered a concussion after getting hit hard by Boston defenceman Johnny Boychuk. Kadri looked in pain as he went to the Leafs bench and threw a bit of a fit when the trainers told him he must leave the game to undergo league concussion protocol.

“I didn’t have much of a choice, they pretty much forced me to,” Kadri said. “I wanted to get back out there as quickly as possible, but obviously there’s a procedure you have to run through. I got it done as fast as I could.”

After the medical exam came the questions.

“Very generic,” Kadri said. “The month, the date, who we played last, the months of the year. And then they make you say it backwards. You also have to (repeat) four or five words.”

All the while, Kadri was seething, not just for being subjected to such a quiz, but for getting caught in open ice by one of the NHL’s hardest hitting defencemen.

Kadri felt the league office should have taken at least a second look at the unpenalized hit. He was asked if he thought Boychuk was aiming towards his head.

“I couldn’t even tell you,” Kadri said. “I just felt the immediate impact in my jaw and my face. I don’t know what exactly hit me, I just felt it. I was a little frustrated. The helmet was almost knocked off my head.”

No league review is planned.

“It’s tough for the referee to call, everything was happening so fast,” Kadri said. “He explained what he saw to me. It’s a lot different when the play is slowed down. But they have a job to do and they’re trying their best.”

Leafs looking to up their pressure game

The nightly barrage of 30-plus shots against the Maple Leafs has not harmed their standing.

But a continued lack of offence definitely will.

Two regulation goals in the past three games, and just three at even-strength stretching back four games, represents the team’s second worst output since Randy Carlyle replaced Ron Wilson in March of 2012.

The weak numbers are nothing to cause Carlyle insomnia at present, as long as signs point to improvement. But that’s the concern, given the ongoing absence of two key centres.

Throw in some penalty kill breakdowns, a run of stingy goaltending from foes and a looming schedule crunch and you can see why Carlyle was too cautious to celebrate his team’s 6-1 start.

After Saturday’s close-but-no-cigar loss to playoff nemesis Boston, the Leafs now enjoy their last three-day break before the Christmas holiday.